Odd problem

Odd problem.I have a head board made of solid Oak. Looks like clear lacquer finish not sure.Here is the odd part. I’ve had this headboard since 1993 and this past week or so I’ve noticed it is getting tacky to the touch. Not just one spot but several places. Tacky enough that it is gathering fibers from my pillow & flannel sheets.

No food spilled nor drinks. Only ever used pledge or similar household products on it to clean and keep it from cracking. Any suggestions on how to remove the tackiness? I’ve tried mineral spirits, denatured alcohol, and my beeswax mineral oil but nothing makes the tackiness go away? I don’t really want to have to sand it down and re-finish it.

-- When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to look like a nail.

13 replies so far

I’m not sure how to solve your problem but if you can dissolve the finish w/ lacquer thinner then it is a lacquer finish. The first step to fixing it is finding out what you have. Use a small dab on the back or some other unseen part.

Thanks for the advice. Tried the lacquer thinner. No change and did not affect existing finish. Tried denatured alcohol and made the matter worse, even more tacky.

What puzzles me is this is not a new finish. This is the existing finish from over 20 years ago. All of a sudden getting tacky. Mostly on the very top of the head board and on the sliding doors on the face of the head board. The side boards/support pieces are unaffected? The areas under the top board is unaffected as well. Inside the book case is unaffected so far.

-- When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to look like a nail.

The tackiness could be buildup from the products you used to clean and wax it. Do not know what wouldwork best to clean them off. The places that are getting tacky seem to the those places that you wouldtend to polish and wax the most. I have been known to be wrong once or twice.

I started a thread ages ago about how a new orthopedic pillow made of space-age foam caused enough outgassing that it softened the finish on our very old headboard. Only in the proximity of the pillow did the finish soften and get tacky. Once we got rid of that pillow, the finish re-hardened and wasn’t tacky anymore, but it took a while, as I remember.

Just asked the wife, the finish on that headboard is still not quite right. Almost not noticeable, except by touch, it’s not glossy smooth like the rest of the finish. Linens, sheets and blankets are sprayed or treated with all kinds of vile crap, to make them not flammable or to achieve other results for the consumer. Yeccch!

-- Einstein: "The intuitive mind is a sacred gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift." I'm Poopiekat!!

Topa, you crack me up! It would probably kill them if they ate the foam. The EPA would probably come after you, then, because of all the rotting carcasses…just sayin’.

BoT, I agree with A1Jim, naphtha would probably clean it up best. Be sure to have the windows open and no fireplace running when you do it. Another thing to try would be paste wax, like Johnson’s. That stuff will remove the residue from a price tag on plastic pretty nicely; maybe it will work here, too.